Suarez outpoints Jandiroba at UFC Vegas 124 and demands Dern strawweight title shot

Tatiana Suarez made a convincing case for a strawweight title shot by outpointing Virna Jandiroba via unanimous decision at UFC Vegas 124 on November 7. The win placed Suarez squarely in the frame to challenge champion Mackenzie Dern, who claimed the vacant title by defeating Jandiroba earlier in 2025.

Speaking in a post-fight interview, Suarez explained why she was eager to test herself against an elite grappler like Jandiroba. “I wanted to feel it just because, you know, it’s like when you go against someone who has good grappling, you’re like, ‘Oh, how is my grappling against theirs?’ And so I wanted to see that and I was excited that I was able to show that I’m also a very good grappler.”

Suarez credited a deliberate body attack and sustained pressure for wearing Jandiroba down as the fight progressed. “I just felt like she got tired and I was just like, put a lot of pressure on her, you know, and I threw a lot of good knees and stuff like that,” she said. “So I think that slowed her down as well. So I invested in the body. That was actually one of my things I wanted to do.”

With Jandiroba now having pushed both the champion and the leading contender to their limits, Suarez argued the matchup with Dern writes itself. “I really want to fight Mackenzie for the belt just because, like, you know, they fought and that was a very tough fight for Mackenzie as well,” Suarez said. “So I’m like, let us fight, let us have a hard fight, you know?”

Suarez is a former strawweight title challenger whose career has been repeatedly interrupted by injury, making the UFC Vegas 124 performance a significant statement of intent. A potential clash with Dern would pit two of the division’s most accomplished grapplers against each other, with the 115-pound championship on the line.